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Christian Leadership Training Course

By J.C. Choate

Lesson 14

The Hireling Preacher

For the last two or three lessons we have dealt with the preacher and money. This is so important because most preachers have problems with money. The lesson today will more than prove that.

No, it is not wrong for a preacher to receive a salary, but when he sells his very heart and soul for a little money, he is wrong. When I think of someone doing such I am reminded of Judas who was willing to betray our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. He ended up committing suicide, and the preacher who can be bought to preach is actually committing spiritual suicide.

But what is the difference between being supported to preach –– simply receiving a salary for services –– and being bought to preach? Surely you already know the answer to that question. It is one thing to be converted, to sincerely desire to preach, and to receive a salary to enable one to do so, but it is another thing altogether to preach for any one who will buy one’s bread.

I have been approached a number of times by so-called preachers who actually offered to “change over to the Church of Christ” if they could receive full-time support, and they would even throw in two or three churches in the deal. In other words, they were saying that they were working with some churches, and if I would give them a salary, they would bring those churches along with them. That means that they would cease to be whatever they were and from that time on they would call themselves the church of Christ. In that case, they would have agreed to be immersed in water, and to make other changes according to the requirement. But what kind of men would suggest such things? What kind of churches would agree to that kind of deal? Naturally, I had no interest. Very little can be done with such preachers and with such churches, for that matter, because they have no conviction or conscience. They would sell their very souls for money. This kind of thing breaks your heart, but it does happen.

Jesus talked about the sheepfold, the door to the sheepfold, and the good shepherd. Of course, the sheepfold is the church, there is one door into the church, and the good shepherd is Christ, who is the way into the church (John 14:6). Now hear what Christ says: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (John 10:11-14).

Please notice that Christ is the good shepherd and as such He is willing to give His life for the sheep. The “sheep” here represent Christians or the church. Paul said in Acts 20:28, in speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Paul refers to the church as being the flock, and he also brings out that Christ has purchased the flock, or the church, with His own blood. That is what He meant when He said that “the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep”.

Christ also talked about the hireling. He said that the hireling is not the shepherd, that the sheep do not belong to him, and therefore when the wolf or the enemy comes, the hireling leaves the sheep alone and unprotected. Christ said that in the meantime the wolf, or the enemy, catches the sheep and scatters them. In other words, he deceives the people and divides them. Christ explains further that this happens because the hireling is a hireling and doesn’t have any concern for the sheep. He doesn’t stay to protect them from harm. The same would be true with preachers and teachers who are hired to preach, who have not been truly converted, and who have no real concern for the members of the church. As long as everything is going well, and they are getting their pay, they are “on the job”. But if a problem arises or if they are questioned, the hireling will disappear, leaving the congregation prey to teachers of false doctrine who will cause the members to be divided, scattered, and lost.

Christ says that, as a good shepherd, He knows the sheep and the sheep know Him. Even in today’s world, the Lord knows His people and His people know Him. He will therefore never leave them nor forsake them.

Let’s take another look at a hireling. This is a man who perhaps has become a believer in Christ, but he has been taught that there are many churches, and that one is as good as another. Needing work, and thinking he would like to be a “full-time” preacher, he may offer his services to most any church he comes across. This kind of man is especially drawn to foreigners because he thinks they can be more easily deceived. If they are of a different church –– even in the Lord’s church –– he may supposedly be converted, he may be immersed, he may even take some training. But since he was originally trained, perhaps, to be a preacher in a particular church and has learned their doctrines, then he probably will continue to preach those doctrines regardless of the religious group he is with. And if things don’t work out with one church, he can quickly switch over to another.

What sort of man can do this kind of thing? Only a hireling. It is true that people may sincerely change from one church to another, but generally this is the result of being convinced that they are in error and they are now leaving that error to accept the truth and to be a member of the true church. But the change is one of the heart, not merely a change in pay master. To sell one’s spiritual allegiance for money is very low indeed.

So a hireling is literally for hire. He has no heart, no real conviction, no commitment, or anything else. He can switch from one church to another with no difficulty, especially if he can get a little more pay. He is always looking for a better deal.

Sometimes we hear of a whole group of preachers leaving one church for another. In such cases, it is very unlikely that they were truly convinced of their error and left their denominational church in order to become a part of the church of Christ. While it is not impossible for a preacher now and then to learn of his error and to correct it, generally when a number of preachers are willing to change religions, it is because they are disgruntled with their church, or see an opportunity to increase their salary, or for some other ulterior reason.

My friend, I hope you are not an hireling. If you are, you need to repent and obey God. To those of you planning to preach, I beg you to learn God’s will, obey it, and become a member of the Lord’s church, the only true church in existence (Acts 2).